Search This Blog

#FacesofPhotonics: University of Cambridge Research Associate, Jonghee Yoon

SPIE's #FacesofPhotonics is sharing the story of Jonghee Yoon. Jonghee is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge in Dr. Sarah Bohndiek’s VISIONLab. He is originally from South Korea, and his current research involves using hyperspectral imaging to identify and diagnosis oesophageal cancer.

Enjoy the interview with Jonghee.

1. Tell us about when you first became interested in optics and photonics.

When I was a high-school student, I had a great opportunity to attend a summer camp held in South Korea's Postech University. The camp program introduced various research areas, and provided lab tours to students.
⠀
One of laboratories I visited was doing biochemical research. The researchers showed me microscopic images of a chicken eggshell captured by scanning electron microscopy. At that time I had no idea about optics and microscopy, but I was hooked on the microscopic images. Since then I have become interested in microscopic imaging and optics. I think that experience placed me in the biomedical optics fields.

2. Explain your current research, and how it can impact society.

Schematic of hyperspectral endoscopy

My research is developing a clinically-translatable hyperspectral endoscope for the early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. Hyperspectral imaging measures both the spatial (morphological) and spectral (biochemical) information of a target, which would enable detection of subtle differences between early lesion and healthy tissues.

Currently there are minimal clinically-available hyperspectral endoscopes due to implementation challenges. We are developing a practical hyperspectral endoscope with high spatial and spectral resolution for clinical diagnostic methods. Our ultimate goal is to apply the developed hyperspectral endoscope to clinical applications in Barrett’s oesophagus and osophageal cancer.

I believe that hyperspectral endoscopy will improve the diagnostic accuracy of the early cancer detection and patient outcome.

3. What are you most excited to see in the future development of photonics?

I would like to see more and more optical imaging technology used in clinical applications of in vivo diagnostics. Optical technologies using visible or near-infrared light have many issues in clinical in vivo applications, mainly due to light scattering and absorption. However, many new optical methods have been developed to overcome these limitations for clinical applications.I believe that scientists and engineers will solve many challenges involved in the clinical applications of visible and near-infrared light, and that biomedical optics techniques will play a key role in disease diagnosis and treatment.

SPIE’s #FacesofPhotonics social media campaign connects SPIE members in the global optics, photonics, and STEM communities. It serves to highlight similarities, celebrate differences, and foster a space where conversation and community can thrive.

Follow along with past and upcoming stories on SPIE social media channels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SPIE's #FacesofPhotonics is sharing the story of Alina Zare, Associate Professor at the The Machine Learning and Sensing Lab at the University of Florida. Dr. Zare was recognized as a 2018 Rising Researcher for her work in Electronic Imaging & Signal Processing, at the SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing conference.

This program recognizes early career professionals who conduct outstanding research in the defense, commercial, and scientific sensing, imaging, optics, or related fields. If you want to learn more about the program, the details are here.

Enjoy the interview with Alina!

1. Tell us about when you first became interested in optics and photonics.
In my senior year of undergraduate studies in computer science, I was taking an Image Processing elective. I really enjoyed the course, and the professor for the class, Dr. Gerhard Ritter, encouraged me to do some undergraduate research.
So I joined Dr. Paul Gader's research lab as a undergraduate researcher where I he…

Meet this week's SPIE Faces of Photonics feature, Arfa Karani. Arfa is a physics PhD student at the University of Cambridge, studying the physics of solar cells. She is originally from India, but has lived outside her home country for many years while pursuing her education.

Arfa was also President of the SPIE Student Chapter at the University of Cambridge in 2017-18, and continues to remain involved with the chapter when she's not hard at work in the university's Cavendish Lab.

Enjoy her interview!

1. How did you become interested in the optics and photonics field? Was there a person who inspired you?

My physics teacher at school inspired me. I got interested in studying optics because my curiosity was satisfied by this teacher, who was extremely enthusiastic about what they did. When you ask too many questions as a child, people try to divert your attention once they are tired of answering. Not this teacher.

Meet the SPIE Faces of Photonics star of the week, SPIE Member Anuja De Silva. Anuja grew up in Sri Lanka and now resides in Albany, New York, where she works as a materials and process researcher in the Semiconductor Technology Research division of IBM. Speaking of her work, she says, "I develop new types of materials and processes that help us to scale the size of computer chips... It's hardware development for next-generation semiconductor devices."

Anuja graduated with her Bachelor's in Chemistry from Mount Holyoke College and went on to get her Master's and PhD in Materials Chemistry from Cornell University. Upon conducting a research project for her undergraduate degree, she found her passion for optics and materials research.

"I have always been interested in math and science," Anuja shares. "The options in Sri Lanka, where I grew up, for a career as a research scientist were limited. My mother encouraged me to apply to college in the Unite…

Authored by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, the Photonics for a Better World blog focuses on research news and the many ways technologies are applied to advance science and improve quality of life, and on the people who make that happen.